Chapter 117 Chen Xueming's Progress
Two months later.
The wind on the Gobi Desert was still as strong, and the sand was still as yellow, but the people in the "tritium road" Prefabricated Building had already changed.
Chen Xueming stood in front of the control console, staring at the line of jumping numbers on the screen. Li Xiao sat beside him, her fingers hovering above the keyboard, ready to record at any moment. Zhang Zhe stood guard by the separation chamber, holding a walkie-talkie in his hand.
It was exactly the same as two months ago.
But the numbers were different.
"Outlet Tritium Concentration: 99.3%"
"System Running Time: 47 days"
"Cumulative Production: 3.2 grams"
Chen Xueming stared at that line "99.3%" and didn't move for a long time.
Forty-seven days ago, this Pilot-scale production device began continuous operation. On the first day, the efficiency was only 76.8%. At that time, he felt that reaching 80% would be a victory.
On the tenth day, they optimized the temperature curve, and the efficiency jumped to 85%.
On the twentieth day, Li Xiao's algorithm updated the magnetic field control model, and the efficiency broke through 90%.
On the thirty-fifth day, Zhang Zhe replaced a batch of new materials for the separation chamber, and the efficiency reached 95% for the first time.
On the forty-seventh day, 99.3%.
Chen Xueming took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"Shut it down," he said.
Zhang Zhe pressed the stop button, and the roar of the device gradually subsided.
Li Xiao turned her head and looked at him.
"Teacher Chen, did we... succeed?"
Chen Xueming didn't speak, he just nodded.
Li Xiao was stunned for a moment, then she covered her mouth, her eyes turning red.
Zhang Zhe stood to the side, grinning foolishly, not knowing what to say.
Chen Xueming walked to the side of the separation chamber and reached out to touch its silver-white metal casing.
It was hot.
It was still radiating the residual heat from its recent operation.
He stood there, his hand against the device, not moving for a long time.
Forty-seven days.
3.2 grams of tritium.
99.3% purity.
It was enough.
Enough for the Nuclear Fusion device to use.
When Lin Mo received the call, he was studying the blueprints for the Vacuum Chamber.
"Lin Mo." Chen Xueming's voice came through the phone, a bit raspy, but kept very steady.
"Teacher Chen?"
"The Tritium Extraction Pilot-scale production has been shut down."
Lin Mo's heart tightened.
"Did something go wrong?"
Chen Xueming was silent for two seconds.
"No," he said, "the mission is complete."
Lin Mo was stunned for a moment.
"Purity?"
"99.3%."
Lin Mo held the phone and was silent for a few seconds.
Then he stood up and walked to the window.
"Teacher Chen, congratulations."
Chen Xueming laughed on the other end of the line.
"It wasn't my credit alone. Li Xiao, Zhang Zhe, and your system simulation—we couldn't have done it without any of you."
Lin Mo nodded.
"I know. But you were the leader."
Chen Xueming was silent for a few more seconds, then said:
"Lin Mo, next, I want to do something else."
"What is it?"
"tritium recycling," Chen Xueming said. "In a Nuclear Fusion device, tritium is both the fuel and the product. Some is burned, and some is generated. If we can complete this cycle, we won't have to keep adding it from the outside."
As Lin Mo listened, his eyes slowly lit up.
"Teacher Chen, do you already have a plan?"
Chen Xueming smiled.
"A little bit. But I'll still need help from that system of yours."
Lin Mo also smiled.
"Anytime."
In the afternoon, Chen Xueming took Li Xiao and Zhang Zhe and drove to Lin Mo's Prefabricated Building.
The four of them sat around that simple table, with several blueprints and data sheets spread out on it.
Chen Xueming pointed to one of the diagrams.
"This is the basic principle of tritium recycling," he said. "In a fusion reaction, deuterium and tritium are burned to produce helium and neutrons. The neutrons hit lithium-6, which then generates new tritium."
Li Xiao nodded: "So theoretically, as long as we supplement the lithium, the tritium can be self-sustaining."
Chen Xueming looked at her with gratification in his eyes.
"Right. But theory is theory; in practice, there are a ton of problems."
He pointed to several points on the diagram.
"First, the tritium recovery efficiency. The tritium left over from burning in the device and the newly generated tritium are mixed together. How do we separate them, and how do we collect them?"
Zhang Zhe raised his hand: "Don't we have our separation device?"
Chen Xueming shook his head.
"Ours is for extracting tritium from lithium. Now we're dealing with a gaseous mixture where the temperature, pressure, and composition are all different; it has to be redesigned."
He pointed to another spot.
"Second, tritium loss. Tritium is highly permeable; it can seep into materials, react with water, and evaporate into the air. In every cycle, a portion will be lost. How much is lost and how to replenish it needs to be calculated clearly."
Li Xiao recorded quickly in her notebook.
Chen Xueming looked at Lin Mo.
"Third, and most critical—we need system simulation. The entire cycle involves nuclear reactions, thermal-hydraulics, materials science, and isotope separation. Without simulation, relying solely on experimental trials, we wouldn't finish in ten years."
Lin Mo nodded.
"No problem. I can start on my end anytime."
Chen Xueming looked at him and was silent for a few seconds.
Then he smiled.
"Lin Mo, you know, two months ago, I was still worried about whether we could pull off Tritium Extraction. Now, I'm already thinking about the next step."
Lin Mo also smiled.
"This shows we're on the right track."
Chen Xueming nodded.
"Yes, the right track."
That night, Chen Xueming stood alone by the device, looking at the equipment that had just been shut down.
Moonlight shone on the silver-white metal, casting a cold glow.
He reached out and touched that pipe again.
The heat had completely dissipated; it was cold.
But his heart was warm.
He thought back to thirty years ago, to that young man who sat in the laboratory all night. At that time, he thought he would never see the day Tritium Extraction succeeded in his lifetime.
Now, he had seen it.
And, he was going to see even more.
To see the Tritium Cycle, to see Nuclear Fusion, to see that Artificial Sun light up on this Gobi Desert.
He took a deep breath, turned, and walked back.
Inside the Prefabricated Building, the lights were still on.
Li Xiao and Zhang Zhe were still discussing data, their voices drifting out from the window.
Lin Mo should also be looking at the blueprints.
Zhao Gang was on patrol, the light from his flashlight swaying back and forth.
He looked at those lights, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.
Then he pushed open the door and walked in.
"Teacher Chen!" Li Xiao looked up. "Why didn't you come in?"
Chen Xueming waved his hand.
"I stood outside for a bit."
He sat down and took a sip from his thermos.
"Let's continue. For the second part of the Tritium Cycle, let's go into more detail."
Li Xiao nodded and continued pointing at the blueprints as she spoke.
Inside the Prefabricated Building, the light was warm, and the sound of discussion was constant.
Outside, the Gobi night was still very cold.
But inside, it was as warm as home.